B.C.’s Premier says if a Victoria firefighter is being sanctioned for writing to him recently then the firefighter deserves an apology.
David Eby says in a statement “as Premier, I need to hear from people in order to do my job, and I thank the firefighter for writing to me about his front-line perspective. I want to hear from front-line workers, first responders, and any member of the public who wants to share what they are seeing in their communities.”
This all stems from the story of Victoria Firefighter Josh Montgomery. He was handed a one-day suspension after he wrote an open letter to the premier expressing his opposition to a planned Dowler Place homeless outreach centre in the North Park neighbourhood.
The union representing firefighters confirms that a member was disciplined and suspended without pay for one day for his opinions shared in a letter.
B.C. Conservative candidate Tim Thielmann, running in Victoria-Beacon Hill, drew attention to the suspension and characterized it as a "chilling retaliation" for political speech. In a statement, he asked "was Mr. Montgomery's suspension at the insistence of the mayor or did it come from the premier himself?"
A Victoria spokesperson said the city would not comment further on the internal personnel matter.
Premier Eby’s statement continued by saying “no one should face consequences for writing to me and if that’s the reason he was sanctioned, then he deserves an apology and back-pay from the person responsible. I’ve asked staff to follow up with the firefighter’s union to see if there’s anything I can do to support. First responders do heroic work in our communities. I will always stand firm in supporting the work they do to keep us all safe.”
Montgomery’s suspension is supposed to take place Friday August 16.